A plea to those who enjoy giving this time of year:

Patrick posted this over at Minimal Mac and it got me thinking.

All of this stuff will generate a bunch of stuff to be thrown away or recycled. Wrapping, packaging, spent gift cards – they all have to end up somewhere. Not to mention all of the stuff we had to build and machines we run in order to make the stuff we give and receive.Then once the season is over, in fact the very next day, comes the inevitable stuff we have to return (for cash to buy stuff if you have the receipt, exchange for different stuff if not).

Last year, we pledged $50 each (half our gift budget) to a charity, and cut down on gifts. We’re doing the same thing this year, and, again, I ask friends and family to consider donating to charity or the kids’ college funds in place of more stuff.

We have enough stuff. We need less of it. I’m trying to minimize. If it’s meaningful, functional and worthwhile, awesome. If it’s frivolous or wasteful, save the money and put it to better use, please.

Think about all the good we can do! We welcome the generosity, but would like to redirect it to something more substantial, that’s all.

Thanks in advance!

Super deal over at WooThemes. I’m making a big push for them through the end of October. I use the WooThemes Developer Package. It’s been a wonderful resource for most of my clients. With 50 themes now, they have plenty of options for my and my clients.

Right now, you can get FOUR of their themes for the price of ONE. Sweet!

They have spectacular designers on their roster, and they provide great and timely support. I highly recommend them.

Get in before October and two things happen.

1. Use my affiliate link and I’ll get a kickback, 100% of which goes to charity for the rest of October. (and 50% after).
2. WooThemes is donating a portion of October proceeds to charity, too.

It’s win-win-win. You get great themes, I give to charity, and WooThemes gives to charity. Awesome.

** All of my October affiliate revenue is going to charity (because I love boobs), so feel free to try out some of the other service and resource providers in my sidebar!

I was thinking about this the other day, thought I’d share. We owe money, like most people. We have generous friends and family that have helped us out throughout the years. We have student loans, we have a mortgage, and we have car payments. We’re lucky that we have minimal credit card debt.

Anyhow, I’ll get to the point. Don’t be a chump. Don’t wait for a bailout. Pay back your debt, and do it in this order:

1. Friends: because you don’t want to be “that” guy.
2. Family: because you may need them to loan it back in the future.
3. Credit Cards: because they are brutal.
4. Automobile: because car payments suck.
5. Other (mortgage, student loans, etc.): because they are, typically, fair and manageable investments.

“How do I do this?” You might ask. Easy:

• Buy a used car. (And join a credit union so you’ll get a better rate).
• Go out to eat (or, especially, drink) one or two fewer times per week.
• Quit with the Starbucks (or variation). Brew at home, and buy a nice to-go cup. Like the specialty drinks? Have you seen the flavors the creamer companies have come out with recently. Buy some.
• Drop the gym membership. Be honest, you don’t really use it, anyway (if you’re in the 5% who actually do, kudos to you). Do some pushups and crunches, jump rope, ride a bike. Do yoga at home.
• Get a cell plan that fits your usage. One should never EVER pay overage fees or excessive texting fees.

Keep it simple. There are plenty of ways to save a few bucks here and there so you can take care of that pesky debt. Get creative. Most importantly, do it. However you have to. Do it.